Social Media for Social Change Change and change agents with social media for Cameroon

Victor van Reijswoud - victor@mis4d.com

Outline

1. What is change? 2. The role of Social Media 3. Social media in Cameroon4. Your own role

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Change

1. Emergent changes

2. Transformative changes3. Projectable changes

Emerging changes

They occur as our life unfolds every day. They are adaptive and irregular processes based on experiential learning, and occur as the result of the unexpected and/or non-planned changes that emerge from the dynamics called Life.

Transformative changes

Crisis and stagnation prepare the ground for change. This type of change is based on un-learning and liberating oneself from those mindsets, relations, identities, formal and non-formal institutions, etc. which hinder and delay the probability of enacting new realities that are more just and fair in economic, social and political terms.

Projectable changes

Changes based on complicated or simple problems that can be resolved by means of specific projects and actions planned from a linear logic.

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The role of social media for change

1. First, social media played a central role in shaping political debates

2. Second, a spike in online conversations often preceded major events on the ground

3. Third, social media helped spread ideas and events across international borders easily

Howard, Philip N et al. "Opening closed regimes: what was the role of social media during the Arab Spring?." (2011).

What different with social media?

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Access to internet is crucial

Africa goes mobile

Where are we on Facebook?

562,480 FB users (Dec. 31, 2012)#101 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by Country

We like LinkedIn!Actual numbers

general penetration rate online population penetration rate

Cameroon 188.438 (0.98%)

(24.04%)

Nigeria1.313.941

(0.85%)(2.92%)

Douala in Top

10 Twitter towns

in Africa

Research: http://www.portland-communications.com/publications/how-africa-tweets-2014/

Who are the influencers?

Blogs in Cameroon

➔ Hard to get a clear image➔ Limited number of active blogs that discuss

the situation in Cameroon ➔ French vs English ➔ Level of organisation improving

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role

It’s not an easy route

Link and connect - you’re not alone

Engage and select the right tools

1. Social media participation

2. Low cost - high impact

3. Mobile solutions

4. Explore new online tools a. Online petitions

b. Participatory (crowd) mapping / sourcing

c. Etc

Make money

ROI - Return on Investment

Develop business models that provide bloggers and social media players a financial incentive to sustain their activities

Challenge 4 - keep going when needed

Have a strategy and have a plan

Be prepared to invest time and energy

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What are we doing

A platform to host people that engage in social change - Support and educate- Together we’re stronger Where can you find us: - Web- FB- Twitter - etc

Next ….

Next training in Douala in NovDigital security training planned in December

Analysis of new tools

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